'Bahawalpur Southern Punjab': panel agrees on new province's name

[HASEEB ANSARI]

'Bahawalpur Southern Punjab': panel agrees on new province's name

The Parliamentary Commission on the creation of new provinces on Thursday agreed on 'Bahawalpur Southern Punjab' as the name of the new province to be carved out of Punjab. According to the sources, most of the members of the Commission proposed that the new province should comprise of three divisions: Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan.

They also suggested Multan as its capital, besides setting up the Governor's office in Bahwalpur. The Commission met under Senator Farhatullah Babar at the Parliament House on Thursday. More than 14 senators and MNAs from Bahwalpur, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan also participated on the invitation of the Commission. After the meeting, Senator Kamil Ali Agha of PML-Q said that the chairman of the commission had not yet taken a final decision on the issue.

Babar also said that lawmakers had presented their recommendations regarding the new province's name, boundaries and its provincial capital, adding that talks were still in progress on the issue. He said that the Commission was preparing the draft of the bill in this regard. He said that in the draft the Commission also proposed amendments in relevant Articles of the Constitution, including 1, 51 and 49 for the creation of new provinces.

Babar said that seven or eight amendments were needed in the Constitution in this regard. Earlier, Mehmood Hayat Khan boycotted the meeting, saying that people belonging to Southern Punjab should be given broader representation than settlers. Sources said that PML-Q's Khwaja Shiraz also protested during the meeting, saying that the division of Chashma, Trimmu and Jinnah Barrage would not be acceptable. The next meeting of the commission would be held on Saturday.

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